The other side of Minerva
by laylaorentea1985
Summary: Minerva McGonagall copes with the death of her husband and father of her children, Albus Dumbledore. Rated for character death please R&R show some love...
1. Chapter 1

When she heard the news from Harry, she fell apart. She loved Albus so much that it nearly took her very soul out. 

"No!" she screamed. "He is not dead! No! I refused to believe it! No!" She fell to the floor crying as everybody watched her in horror. Harry just stood there in silence. 

Poppy ran to her aid.

"Minerva, calm down! Don't worry, love," said Poppy as she comforted her friend. 

"No!" Minerva kept crying. 

Poppy thought that it would be best to take her to her chambers to sleep so she could be alone. 


	2. Chapter 2

Poppy had to help Minerva clean her wounds from the battle. She had a few scratches on her face. Bellatrix had nearly killed her a couple times that night.

"Here you go, Love," said Poppy as she was finishing cleaning her wounds. "All done. Good as new."

"Poppy, he's not really dead, is he?" she asked as tears streamed down her face.

"Yes, he is," Poppy said solemnly.

Minerva started to cry harder.

"Let's get you into a gown, love," said Poppy as she pulled out a nightgown from Minerva's armoire and handed it to her.

"Poppy, what am I going to tell the children?" Minerva asked as she went behind the screen to change into her nightclothes.

"The truth. Their father fought bravely and died for what he believed in," said Poppy.

"But Severus killed him! You know that he was Haidan's favorite teacher when he went here," sobbed Minerva.

Poppy was not sure how to answer that one. She pulled the covers back on Minerva's bed as Minerva stepped out from behind the screen. Her hair was still up in that tight bun. Poppy looked at it and wondered if she ever let her hair down because that bun looked very painful.

"Aren't you going to take out your bun?" asked Poppy.

"Oh," said Minerva as she started taking her bun out. Minerva just wished that her friend would leave her alone with her thoughts so she could have a good cry and let it all out. Hopefully, Poppy will not drug her with the sleeping drought like she does with all of the distraught students.

Poppy had Minerva lay down in the bed.

"I am not going to give you a drought," smiled Poppy. "I will let you cry it out."

"Poppy, can I ask you a favor?" asked Minerva.

"Yes, anything love," said Poppy.

"I need you to send owls Moira, Haidan, Anna, and Brian for me. I can't bare to do it right now," sighed Minerva.

Poppy nodded and left as Minerva tried to sleep.

Hours had past and she still could not sleep. Thankfully, Poppy was not back from writing those letters to her children yet. Minerva transfigured herself into a cat and walked to where they kept Albus's body in repose.


	3. Chapter 3

As her transfiguration, Minerva scuttled around the corridors of Hogwarts looking for Albus. She came across Filch and Hagrid as they were cleaning up the mess.

"Po' ole Professor McGonagall," sighed Hagrid as he and Filch were cleaning up the mess the Death Eaters made. "She luffed 'im she did."

"Pfft," said Filch. "Love is over rated."

"What are you talking about?" asked Hagrid in horror. "They were married!"

"Married?" "Yeh, many good years now."

Minerva continued her way to the hospital wing to find Albus. She looked in the isolation room and there he was. His face was disfigured and his body was mutilated. Minerva transfigured back into her human being. She looked at Albus as he was lied out on the bed. Poppy would probably make him look better in the morning.

Minerva threw herself onto her husband's body and wept heavily. She wanted to curl up and die right then and there.

Out of nowhere, Minerva's eldest daughter, Moira popped out of nowhere. Moira was about twenty-five years old and the level headed daughter of the broad.

"Mum," said Moira as she pulled Minerva off Albus's body. "I was sure that Auntie Poppy would have given you her magic drug. Come on, mum. Let's go back to bed and tomorrow, you can take a hot bath."

Moira took her mother back to her chambers and had her lay down in bed.

"You want to know how I found you?" grinned Moira. "Aunt Poppy took me to your chambers and you weren't there. Then we figured that you were looking for pop. Aunt Poppy told me where he was and also told me to tell you not to worry. She'll make him look better for the funeral."

Then Poppy entered the room with the drought.

"Good, you found her," said Poppy as she poured a teaspoon of the drought and put it up to Minerva's mouth. Minerva turned away from Poppy. "Come on, Minnie. You need to sleep." Minerva pierced her lips tightly. Moira placed her hands on Minerva's face and had her face Poppy. Poppy pulled her jaw down and shoved the spoonful into her mouth.

"That's a good girl," said Poppy as Minerva was hacking. Then Minerva fell asleep. Finally, Poppy looked at Moira. "Come on, love. Let's get you settled." Poppy pulled out the spare bed Minerva kept in there for whenever any of her and Albus's children visit.

"Oh Poppy, pop was everything to mum," sighed Moira. She was like her mother in everyway; she kept a firm look, but when she was with Poppy or her mother on occasion, then she would let her guard down and show her true emotions. "What's going to happen? I mean, I have never seen her like this. Does Brian, Haidan and Anna know yet?"

"Brian won't make it from Durmstrang until the morning. His headmaster would not let him come right away. Haidan has not replied yet," Poppy sighed.

"He is probably drunk," said Moira as she started to unpack.

Poppy knew about Haidan's wild side. She knew that Minerva and Albus had tried everything to straighten him up, but he could not be tamed. They even had Snape intervene with him a couple of times when he was teenager. When he came of age to go to school, Minerva and Albus thought that it would be best if he attended Hogwarts so they could keep an eye on him. To their surprise, he was sorted into Slytherin's house and he was one of Snape's favorite students.

That man talked sense into their son killed Albus to protect that Malfoy brat. Stupid unbreakable vow! Poppy did not even mention in the letters who killed Albus because she still could not believe it. She had to be strong for Minerva. She had to.

"Now young, lady. You need to get some sleep. I am sure it was one heck of a flight from that Beaux's (?) Academy," Poppy said firmly.

"Auntie Poppy," said Moira. "Are you staying the night with mum and I?"

"Yes," said Poppy.

"Auntie, who killed my dad?" asked Moira.

Poppy was speechless. She did not know what to do with this situation. This was probably something that Minerva should tell the children herself.

"Your mother will tell you tomorrow, or Hogwarts, whichever comes first," Poppy said dryly. "Now go to sleep before I give you the drought."

Moira waited until Poppy was asleep before she crept over to her mother. Like her father, Moira was a powerful wizard, or in her case, witch. She did a legimacy spell on her mother to figure out who killed her father.

"_Poppy, what am I going to tell the children?" Minerva asked as she went behind the screen to change into her nightclothes._

"_The truth. Their father fought bravely and died for what he believed in," said Poppy._

"_But Severus killed him! You know that he was Haidan's favorite teacher when he went here," sobbed Minerva_

_Snape killed my dad? _Moira said in shock. Then, she thought to cheer herself up, she would practice legimacy on Auntie Poppy. Auntie Poppy's thoughts were sometimes humorous. They were always pink and blue.

"_Oh Charles," Poppy cried. "I don't want you to go into battle. You cannot leave me here! You just can't!"_

"_Poppy, I have to," Charles sighed. "I need to defeat Gellert once and for all!" _

_There was a crash in the house. Poppy and her children Bianca and Max were taken hostage._

"_BIANCA! MAX!" _

"_MAMA! MAMA!" _

"Bianca! Bianca! Max!" Poppy screamed in her sleep. She was sweating big time. Moira woke her up.

"Auntie Poppy!" Moira screamed. "Auntie Poppy!" Poppy woke up.

"Oh dear," Poppy blushed.

Moira knew that her mother would be furious if she knew that she was practicing legimacy on her and Poppy while they were asleep.

Now how in the hell was Moira going to cheer up when Poppy was thinking about a horrible event?


	4. Chapter 4

Moira laid back in her bed, still restless. Now that her mother was falling apart over her father, she knew that she had to be the strong one for when the rest of the children came over.

_We are Dumbledore's! _her mother once proclaimed in her youth. _We have to be strong and brave. _

Moira knew the dangers of being a Dumbledore; you had enemies on every corner. No matter what you do, somebody is out there to kill you.

Then Moira looked at Poppy as she was finally sleeping peacefully. Moira knew that Poppy was putting on a strong front too for her mom.

Usually, it was her mother that was putting on the strong front, but when Moira saw the woman throwing herself onto Albus's lifeless body, she did not know her at all. She just went in there and smiled as if it were nothing because she knew that her mother needed one sane person to be with her. Now that her father was dead, killed by a friend of the family, Moira was now left alone to take care of her mother.

The next morning, Igor arrived with young Brian Dumbledore. Brian was about fifteen years old and he was stern, just like the other boys are at Durmstrung.

"Hey Brian," said Moira as she greeted her brother with a hug.

"I vas deeply sadden by the sudden death of your Vater," said Igor as he gave Moira a hug. "How is your mutter?"

"Mum is sleeping," said Moira. "Come on in, I'll get you some breakfast."

Igor came into Minerva's quarters with the Dumbledore children. Moira concocted up breakfast by herself because she did not believe in exploiting house elves.

Poppy soon woke up and came into Minerva's little eat-in kitchen.

"Hello, Igor," said Poppy as she gave him a hug.

"Hello dear friend," said Igor.

Then Poppy went over to Brian and gave him hug. "How are you doing, love?"

"He has not spoken at all since he got the news. I don't blame him at all," said Igor as he sipped his coffee.

"Brian, would you like some eggs?" asked his sister as she placed them in front of him. Brian did not answer. "Come on brother, you have to eat something."

Then Maxine arrived with Anna. Anna was twelve years old and in tears over her father's death.

"Oh Anna," said Moira as she hugged her sister tightly.

"Moira!" cried Anna. "Who did it? Who!"

Moira knew who did it, but she felt that her mother should be the one to tell them.

"I want to know who killed him so I could kill him!" she sobbed.

"Annie, mum will be the one to tell you," calmly said Moira.

"Oh Moira, I am zo glad dat you made it 'ere," said Maxine as she gave Moira a hug.

"Who will take over the school while you are here?" asked Moira.

"Fleur will, don't vorry," Maxine smiled.

"Poppy, should somebody wake mom up?" asked Moira.

"Let her sleep," said Poppy. "She has been through enough."

Meanwhile, while everybody was eating the private breakfast that Moira whipped up, Minerva was having a very interesting dream. She dreamt that Albus was still alive.

_Albus! _she said as she ran over to him and wrapped her arms around him.

_Minnie! _he replied.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Okay, I know you all think Moira is insensitive, but she is not. She is merely acting like her mother. Moira feels that since she is the oldest, she has to be the strongest. Oh and that Poppy thing...it will come up soon when Minerva goes to Poppy to vent.

_"Albus?"_ said Minerva.

_"I am always here with you in spirit, Minerva,"_ he smiled.

Then Minerva woke up. She stepped out of her room and looked around at everybody who was there; Madame Maxine, Igor, her son Brian, her daughter Anna, and Poppy. She then went into the kitchen and fixed herself a cup of coffee. Her hands were so shaky that she dropped the cup and the cup broke on the floor.

"Fuck it!" Minerva whispered as she headed back for her room.

"Mummy!" Anna cried. Minerva turned around and hugged Anna tightly.

"Darling," Minerva wept.

"Mummy, how?" Anna sobbed.

Minerva looked in her daughter's emerald eyes and tried to come up with an explanation for her father's sudden death.

"Darling, it is hard for me to say," sobbed Minerva.

"Mum, do you want something to eat?" asked Moira.

"No, sweetheart," said Minerva. "I do not know what to do. How am I going to live without him?"

Moira had it with being the strong one. She wanted to just cry along with them, but she couldn't. She just couldn't. She ran into the bathroom and locked the door. Nobody seemed to notice, which was fine by her.

Brian stepped away from everybody. Minerva saw him and acknowledged him. Brian just took a few more steps back.

"Brian," said Minerva as she tried to hug him. Brian ran out of the quarters.

"Poor lad has not said a thing since ve left Durmstrung," sighed Igor.

Minerva sighed.

"Mummy, what do we do now?" cried Anna.

"We bury your father," said Minerva.

The next day was the wake. Harry, Hermione, and Ron paid their respects to Minerva and her family.

"How are you doing, professor?" asked Hermione.

"As fine as I could I suppose," said Minerva as she looked at Brian who was camped out under the tree.

Then out of nowhere, Haidan arrived.

"Hey mum," said Haidan. "I got the message from Auntie Poppy. Who did it?"

Minerva looked away from Haidan. How was she going to tell him that his friend Snape killed his father? How would one tell their child that there hero killed his father?

Brian stood under a tree and watched from afar. Hagrid saw him and thought that it would be best to comfort the lad.

""ello Brian," said Hagrid as he sat next to him. "Your father was a good man. He will be missed." There was a moment of silence between the two. "You know, your mudder's worried about you. She doesn't think dat you are all right. I know you are trying be a man an' all, but your mudder and fadder want you to be able to let it all out."

Still nothing was said from Brian.

"Come on now, lad," said Hagrid. "Let it out. Be mad! Punch a tree or something! I won't tell!"

Brian stood up and kicked the tree he was sitting under. Then he started punching it until his knuckles started to bleed.

"Okay lad, that's enough!" said Hagrid as he pulled him away from the tree. "The tree did not kill your father."

Then Brian looked up at Hagrid, as if he were going to say something, and then ran off.


End file.
